A recent study by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur highlighted concerning trends regarding the reporting of mental disorders in India. The findings revealed that self-reporting rates for mental health problems were notably low.

The study revealed that the self-reporting of mental illness was less than 1% based on the 75th Round National Sample Survey, 2017-18. Additionally, the study shed light on the significant out-of-pocket expenses incurred by individuals seeking mental health services, largely due to reliance on the private sector.

The private sector emerged as a major provider of mental health services, accounting for 66.1% of outpatient care and 59.2% of inpatient care.

The study was done based on the logistic regression models and it shows that the individuals with higher incomes were 1.73 times more inclined to report health problems compared to those with lower incomes.

The study revealed that self-reporting of mental disorders in India is considerably lower than the actual burden of the disease. This disparity suggests a significant gap in identifying and addressing mental health issues.

The study has been published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems and has been co-authored by Dr Alok Ranjan, Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts (SoLA), IIT Jodhpur and Dr Jewel Crasta, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.